Estonian national team captain plays most of regular time as St. Pauli see off Hoffenheim
Estonian national football team captain Karol Mets had to be substituted in his DFB-Pokal round of 32 game for FC St. Pauli at home against Hoffenheim, though still played almost the whole 90 minutes of regular time.
Mets had recently come back from a nearly year-long absence due to injury.
The Estonian could take consolation from the result too – the Hamburg-based Bundesliga team with the legendary brown-white strip won a penalty shootout after regular and extra time ended in draws.
Mets, 32, had been on an 11-month injury break; the Hoffenheim game was only his second full-time appearance, after the national team match against Moldova at home, earlier in the month.
"Quite, the break was long. Everything's fine," the center back said.
The Estonian was in the starting line-up against Hoffenheim; that he had to be substituted was due to severe leg cramps but not related to the injury which had kept him benched.
"I didn't get injured. My legs were cramping everywhere," he told Soccernet.ee.
He was eventually taken off well into regular time stoppage time.
The hosts had gone into the halftime break 1:0 up, but Hoffenheim, who also play in the Bundesliga, equalized early in the second half.
With things at 1:1 after 90 minutes, the match headed for extra time. Each side found the net, leaving the score drawn at 2:2, and a penalty shootout beckoned, which the hosts won 8:7, putting them through to the round of 16 in the DFB-Pokal, also known as the German Cup.
St. Pauli and Mets have to wait until Sunday for the round of 16 draw to see who they will play next.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Maarja Värv
